Travel and Adventure: On safari in Hawaii

Sunday

Mar 9, 2014 at 10:10 PMMar 9, 2014 at 10:11 PM

By Sandra ScottCreators SyndicateThe Un-Cruise’s Safari Explorer is for people like me who never had the urge to go on a cruise ship that resembles a huge floating resort village.On my first trip to Hawaii I wanted to see as many of the islands as possible with a focus on the wildlife and culture. While I was searching for ways to do that, I happened on the website for Un-Cruise, which travels from the Big Island to Maui to Lanai and ends on Molokai with a variety of ocean experiences and land excursions. Plus it is a luxury cruise without the need to put on airs. I learned that the Un-Cruise ship, the Safari Explorer, carries a maximum of 36 passengers and that it is all-inclusive, which meant all the shore trips, water activities, meals and libations would be included.It sounded perfect — and it was.The best way to see the denizens of the ocean turned out to be with the crew of the Safari Explorer. They are very knowledgeable, and they also tap into local sources for additional information. One evening Katie, from Kona Diving Co., came aboard and gave an amusing and informative presentation on manta rays. They have no teeth, she explained, but they funnel food into their mouth using their two large flaplike lobes. After the presentation it was time to shimmy into my wetsuit for an exciting night snorkel with the mantas. Watching these huge rays doing belly-rolls was like being part of a National Geographic special. Another day I headed out on the skiff with our group and went snorkeling above the sea turtles’ “cleaning stations,” where the surgeonfish were cleaning the algae off the turtles in a great example of a symbiotic relationship. On every snorkeling adventure, especially in Manele Bay (dubbed “The Aquarium”) I saw beautiful yellow tangs, parrotfish and humu-humu-nuku-nuku-a’pua’a — Hawaii’s state fish — which is also known as the Picasso Triggerfish. Nearly every day I saw dolphins and humpback whales. Watching whales breach and slap their fins was awe-inspiring, and a few had their newborns with them. Captain Jeff and the crew were able to recognize their old friend “Barnacle Betty,” whom they had seen on the Safari Explorer’s voyage to Alaska, where the whales spend the summer.Other water activities included kayaking, paddle-boarding and diving off the platform. An exceptionally calm day allowed us to snorkel in a bay near a steamship that went aground in the 1950s. It had been used to transport goods between the islands and survived the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.Most days included a shore tour. During our trip to Kona on the Big Island our group visited Hulihe’e Palace, where I learned about King Kamehameha, the unifier of the Hawaiian Islands. In Lahaina on Maui there was the weekly handicraft market under the 100-year-old spreading banyan tree. I visited the Cultural Heritage Center and the Maui Voyaging Society, where some of us learned how to paddle a traditional outrigger canoe. One of my favorite shore trips was to the island of Molokai. The island is a step back into the 1950s with no fast-food restaurants, no stoplights and virtually no people. The island is where Father Damien helped the lepers, and the remote former leper colony is accessible mainly by a long mule ride down the steep sea cliff. Our tour took us to Halawa Valley and Anakala Pilipo, who invited us into the valley with a “honi,” the traditional greeting of touching noses and foreheads. Pilipo’s family has been living in the valley for 50 generations, the longest continuous civilization known in Hawaii. While some of the others went hiking to the waterfalls, I stayed with a small group to learn about the local culture, the taro fields and how to prepare poi from Pilipo’s son, Gregory.From the moment I was greeted at the Kona airport to my drop-off at the Molokai airport a week later, I was treated to first-rate personal service by a crew that anticipated every need, including wetsuits and flippers that were a perfect fit. The Un-Cruise is a luxury cruise, but it is low-key. The attire is swimsuits and resort casual. My cabin had a queen-size bed (there are two suites) with individual climate control, a private bathroom, a comfy chair, a writing desk and a flat-screen TV where the daily schedule was posted along with information pertaining to the day’s events. The main deck is home to a cozy library, sitting salon and dining area. I enjoyed gourmet meals that used fresh, locally sourced ingredients prepared by Chef Nate at every meal. I was impressed with how easy individual dietary needs were met. Not to be outdone, Michael, the pastry chef, conjured up fantastic desserts. The libations were free-flowing with cocktails waiting on deck when the excursions returned to the ship. Awesome!The days were packed with such great activities that I didn’t have time to enjoy the alfresco hot tub or teak chaises on the bridge deck, but it was my favorite place to enjoy a glass of wine while watching the sunset. I confess I did not get up in the morning to join the yoga class and never had time to fit in my free spa treatment. Captain Jeff invited one and all to visit him on the bridge.The Safari Explorer’s small size made it possible to go where the megaships cannot. When the ship is not in the Hawaiian Islands it heads to Alaska for similar encounters with nature. Some of my fellow passengers had been so pleased with their Alaskan Un-Cruise nature expedition that they booked the Un-Cruise’s Hawaiian adventure. On the last day other guests signed up for future Un-Cruise voyages to take advantage of a pre-signing discount. I wish I had signed up for one of their Baja nature cruises, and maybe I will. The offer is still good.WHEN YOU GOFor information about all of the Un-Cruise sailings, visit www.un-cruise.com.